A blog about individual and community development using new information and communication technologies, especially e-learning, open educational resources, open source, Web 2.0, blogs, wikis, social networking, social bookmarking, semantic web and other social software.

2012-05-22

Described as an electronic “tattoo”, the device is a wearable patch of circuits, sensors, and wireless transmitters that sticks to the skin like a temporary tattoo and is able to stretch and flex with the skin. The researchers hope that the final product will continuously measure and monitor uterine contractions, fetal heart rate and oxygen, and maternal heart rate and body temperature. According to Todd Coleman, professor of bioengineering and head of the project, the device is unique because of its ability to continuously check a number of different measurements in an unobtrusive manner. Moreover, the device will work well in developing countries that lack sufficient healthcare access, but have high mobile phone usage, as it will transmit data wirelessly to a cellphone and on to the cloud to be viewed by physicians far away. Be sure to read about some of the other grant winners here. There’s a lot of neat research being done in the areas of vaccines, synthetic biology, and global health.

2012-05-17

In this article, Batson argues that Sakai’s OAE (Open Academic Environment – formerly Sakai 3) reflects a new paradigm of online learning, moving from an instructor-led to a learner-led environment based around its e-portfolio capability.

However, surely this will depend on how instructors choose to use it? A true learner-focused environment is likely to include more than one proprietary set of tools. See ‘Designing online learning for the 21st century‘ for an alternative view.

2012-05-15

One of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” as named by “Time Magazine” this year is educating students at William Burnett Elementary School, even though they have never met him.

Sal Khan is the voice behind Khan Academy, a free online tutoring site with a library of more than 3,200 video tutorials, interactive challenges and assessments available to anyone with a Gmail address from any computer with access to the web. Topics are virtually limitless; covering kindergarten - through 12th-grade math, science topics such as biology, chemistry and physics, finance and history, and the catalogue is growing on a daily basis.

2012-05-14

At its core, the issues associated with mobile learning get to the very fundamentals of what happens in class everyday. At their best, cell phones and mobile devices seamlessly facilitate what students and teachers already do in thriving, inspiring classrooms. Students communicate and collaborate with each other and the teacher. They apply facts and information they’ve found to formulate or back up their ideas. They create projects to deepen their understanding, association with, and presentation of ideas.

2012-05-08

Solar panels have been installed in the remote area of Ilkerin in Kenya, where many people from the Maasai tribe live.

Solar panels will provide power for computer labs that will serve the local community, students and out of school youth that are receiving vocational training. The computers that are used are energy efficient and save money because they are so called thin clients, a type of solution where a computer network of multiple users is powered by just one PC or server.

2012-05-07

“The British government has enlisted the services of Wikipedia in a push to make all taxpayer-funded academic research from the UK freely available online – regardless of whether it is also published in a subscription-only journal…”

“Leading members of Australia’s open access movement have applauded the UK initiative, but are less than optimistic about the prospect that Canberra will follow suit.”

2012-05-06

EcoMOBILE (Ecosystems Mobile Outdoor Blended Immersive Learning Environment) is an extension of the EcoMUVE curriculum, developed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education with funding from the Institute of Education Sciences. In EcoMUVE, students explore a virtual representation of a pond ecosystem. In EcoMobile, funded by the National Science Foundation and Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach initiative, students will use the EcoMUVE software and also extend their learning with mobile technologies through one or more field trips to a local pond environment. Two forms of technology for science education will enhance their experience in the real world.

2012-05-04

“In the fall of 2010, I was selected to be a pilot 1:1 classroom in my district and gained a class set of laptops for my students to use as needed. In the two years since, I’ve realized that 1:1 technology can be an incredibly powerful tool in creating a classroom where learning is real. Here’s how:”